Angiotensin Protocols

M E T H O D S I N M O L E C U L A R M E D I C I N E TM Angiotensin Protocols Edited by Donna H. Wang Humana Press Historical Perspective of the RAS 3 1 Historical Perspective of the Renin–Angiotensin System John E. Hall “To understand a science it is necessary to know its history.” Auguste Comte, 1798–1857 The renin–angiotensin system (RAS) is now recognized as the body’s most powerful hormone system for controlling sodium balance, body fluid volumes, and arterial pressure. It is mainly for this reason that researchers continue to be fascinated with this system more than 100 years after its discovery. With the development of drugs that effectively block different components of the RAS, the therapeutic advantages of inhibiting this system in hypertension, heart failure, diabetes, and other pathophysiological states have become apparent. Yet, as our knowledge of the physiology and molecular biology of this system continues to accelerate, it is also obvious that there is still much to learn and that many talented scientists will continue to devote their careers to understanding how the RAS functions in health and disease. This brief review summarizes a few of the many milestones that have paved the way for our current understanding of the RAS. I have focused mainly on discoveries during the first 80 years and have not attempted to review the explosion of molecular biology literature during the past several years; much of this information can be found in other chapter